Guides · The day
A wedding day timeline for your wedding party
Who needs to be where, and when, from hair and makeup to the send-off. A sample schedule you can borrow, and how to give each person just their part.
Build the day backward from the ceremony. Aim to have hair and makeup finished about two hours before it, and add a 15-minute cushion between the big moments. Then give each person only the times that involve them.
Start with the ceremony and work backward
Your ceremony time is the one fixed point. Everything else counts back from it: photos before it, getting dressed before that, and hair and makeup before that. Ask your photographer, hair and makeup team and venue how long they need. They know their own pace better than any guide.
How long things take
- Hair and makeup: about 45 minutes each for most of the wedding party, and an hour and a half to two hours for the bride. One hair stylist and one makeup artist can usually get four or five people ready in a morning. With a bigger party, add another artist.
- Getting dressed: about 30 minutes for bridesmaids, a little longer for the bride. Buttons, laces and veils take time.
- First look and wedding party photos: about 45 minutes together.
- Family photos after the ceremony: 20 to 30 minutes, faster with a list of groups and someone who knows everyone.
- Travel: however long the map says, plus a little. Parking and photos on the way always take longer.
A sample timeline for a 4:00 PM ceremony
This one has a first look and four bridesmaids. Shift every time by the same amount for an earlier or later ceremony.
| Time | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 AM | Arrive at the getting-ready spot. Coffee and breakfast. | Bride, bridesmaids, hair and makeup team |
| 9:00 AM | Hair and makeup begins, bridesmaids first. | Bridesmaids |
| 12:00 PM | The bride's hair and makeup begins. Everyone else has lunch. | Bride, bridesmaids |
| 12:30 PM | Groom and groomsmen arrive at their getting-ready spot. | Groom, groomsmen |
| 1:00 PM | Photographer arrives for details and getting-ready photos. | Photographer |
| 1:30 PM | Groomsmen dressed, boutonnieres on. | Groom, groomsmen |
| 2:00 PM | Hair and makeup finished. Bridesmaids get dressed. | Bridesmaids |
| 2:15 PM | The bride gets dressed. | Bride, maid of honor |
| 2:45 PM | First look, then wedding party photos. | Couple, then the whole wedding party |
| 3:30 PM | Wedding party out of sight. Ushers seat guests as they arrive. | Groomsmen, ushers |
| 4:00 PM | Ceremony. | Everyone |
| 4:30 PM | Family photos, then cocktail hour. | Couple, families |
| 5:30 PM | Grand entrance into the reception. | Couple, wedding party |
| 6:15 PM | Toasts. | Maid of honor, best man |
| 10:00 PM | Send-off. | Everyone |
Who goes first? The bride usually sits in the chair near the end of the morning, so her look is freshest for photos, but not last, so a slow start doesn't squeeze her.
Give each person just their part
A full wedding day schedule has forty lines, and most of them are for the caterer, the band and the venue. Send that to your bridesmaids and the two lines that matter to them get lost. Instead, give each person their own short list:
- Where and when to arrive, with the address.
- What to bring: the outfit, shoes, jewelry, a phone charger, anything you're counting on them for.
- Their jobs: holding the rings, bustling the dress, giving a toast, seating guests, handing out sparklers.
- Where to be next, after the ceremony and for the entrance.
Your maid of honor and best man may need a little more. Everyone else will thank you for less.
Small things that keep the day calm
- Pad the schedule. Fifteen minutes between the big moments absorbs a slow curl or a lost boutonniere.
- Pick a point person. One calm friend or your coordinator answers the questions, so you don't have to.
- Feed everyone. Put lunch on the timeline, not just "if there's time".
- Practice the bustle. Have whoever will do it learn at the final dress fitting.
- Pack a small kit: safety pins, stain remover, pain relievers, blotting papers, snacks and a sewing kit.
The night before
Share the rehearsal details at the same time as the wedding day schedule: when and where the rehearsal is, when dinner starts, and anything people should bring along, like the marriage license, the rings or gifts for the wedding party. Then everyone knows the whole weekend from one place.